Harbinger 1.1

"And we're back with Chika-san."

I grunted trying to tune the noise out. It, like a lot of other things, was something I wished would just go away. My eyes slowly drifted past the television toward the ground. More bright screens met my eyes, each one more annoying than the last. Computers lined the hall. I took a deep breath. My nose wrinkled in disgust.

A heady scent of pine and body odor entered my nostrils. I didn't think anything of it. I was used to it by now. The first few days had been a challenge, but the prospect of a paycheck kept me around. It wasn't like Tetsuya would've taken the time to do anything about it.

"The massacre in Kuoh town is still in hot debate today."

I leaned over the store's counter. It was an old decrepit thing, rotted with what I hoped were just pop stains. Lightly, I dragged my head to the left. An old clock faced me. The machine's once shiny metals were old, faded. Its small red hand toiled away with each passing second. I wanted out of here, but needs come first. In a way, it was almost comical.

I never thought I'd find myself working a typical day job ever again.

When I first received the offer, I couldn't believe it. Like most other things in my new lease on life, it started with a fight. Although, this one wasn't quite as violent. I sat up, lips quietly dipping. Nobody had died. No one was even hurt, not permanently anyway. It was just me, a couple of teenage thugs, and a spindly old man. It wasn't hard to guess how that went.

After my long series of unfortunate events in Kuoh town, I landed myself on the quickest bus out of town. It wasn't too hard with the relatively small amount of money I had built up from Dohnaseek's recruitment scheme. The driver had given me some strange looks when he'd seen Asia, but the quick excuse of her being a family member got us through without incident.

"Local authorities claim the incident a gas explosion. Video evidence shows otherwise."

I assumed the driver had taken my words at face value. The mutterings of stupid foreigners had passed entirely below my radar. I didn't pay him any attention. I had more important things to worry about. At the time, all I could do was continue to play my memories of the church over in my head. Mittelt. Rias. Akeno. Koneko. That thing.

I couldn't come to terms with it. Every time I even tried to think about what I did in that church, my mind screamed in protest. It was as if some part of me knew that thinking of the daemon would only bring harm. After getting my ass handed to me by the trio, I'd...I'd-

A phantom pain shot up my left arm. A burning tingle came from my palm. Wincing, I pushed the thoughts away. I stared at the limb. Rough tanned skin met my eyes. White cloth clung to the skin of my palm. The simple layered strip looked almost ashamed. My right hand drifted over it. Another pang hit me, light...warm. The bandage felt so out of place on my hand. I had to get rid of-

A low growl tore through my throat before I could finish the thought.

The mark never left me. The daemon from the church didn't either, not truly. Something changed that night. A strange unsettling feeling comes to me every time I look in the mirror, like whatever I'm looking at isn't quite me. I could see it in me. I could feel it. There was something there with me, lurking just outside my view. Watching, waiting. No other daemon had graced me with their presence since. No demonic choir. No other voices. No unyielding god as old as man itself.

"A monster? Whether it's fact or fiction Okada-san is not for me to say. Some called it a demon, others a spirit. Northerners claimed it a Yokai! Why don't we take a look and you can tell me for yourself?"

I hadn't had any more double-visioned trips through the god's realm either. Ever since my last real fight, things had been decidedly quiet. A few small whispers here. Some bloodlust there. A bit of unnatural red haunted my vision from time to time, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. It was crazy! That constant gnawing feeling in the back of my mind calling for action was gone. I still didn't know what happened between getting beat to the ground and waking up in a burnt crater of asphalt. Snippets came to me. Flashes of red and orange. They were rage, brutal, unyielding. Each one that came was more fleeting than the last. It was like trying to hold water with a net. Impossible.

Asia took almost a week to regain consciousness.

The girl had taken my explanation as gospel. I still didn't know how to feel about it. Not good, that was certain. The little smile and hope-filled green eyes ate at my soul. I wanted to tell her the truth, the whole damn truth. Asia was my friend. My only friend. I couldn't bear to break the look on her face. I didn't know how she did it, being so damn cheerful all the time had to be a crime. So, I did the next best thing. I lied. I lied my damn ass off, and Asia?

She believed every word of it.

I could practically feel the glare Mia Nonna was sending me from up high. I didn't have anything to say though, not to her. After what I'd done, there wasn't anything to say. Apologies wouldn't cut it. At the end of it all, Asia wanted to come with me. She wanted to stay with her friend. Her first friend. The cute pout that came to her lips as I laughed was another knife twisting in my gut. I ignored it all. I ignored everything just so I could make sure she would keep smiling.

"Well viewers, what do you think? Monster? Yokai? Demon? Something else entirely? At this time, your guess is as good as mine. In other news, winged men have supposedly been spotted south of Tokyo. Meanwhile in the city, violent crime has exploded over the last few months. Just what is the world coming to?"

Finally, the clock struck six. Yawning, I stood. A small rumble came from my stomach. It was an involuntary response. I already knew I had food waiting for me at home. Everything felt normal, weirdly so. I was starting to get into a schedule again. It only takes two weeks to form a habit. Three months was quite a long time.

A small green fly lazed on the clock's glass. The creature stared at the world in contempt.

-]-|=|-[-

Dohnaseek hated giving reports. Going back over his previous actions word for word on a piece of paper was not a fun use of time. Doing it multiple times a week was even less of a good time. Giving a report in person was marginally better. At least then, his hand didn't hurt by the end of it. Having to attend a one-on-one meeting with a man powerful enough to turn him to ash with his pinky finger was by far worse than any of the aforementioned things combined.

"You have anything to say?"

The man being questioned scowled. It wasn't a pretty look. There wasn't hatred on his face. It was a dogged acceptance. There was a bitter taste on his tongue, although it wasn't all too unexpected. His scheme fell through. In part anyway. The fallen angel still couldn't believe it. Azazel didn't either. However, the Governor General of the Grigori wasn't particularly inclined to believe much of anything his subordinates had to say these days. Having a Seraph betray the Grigori was a striking blow.

Kokabiel wasn't exactly the most well-put-together fallen, but Azazel should have seen it sooner. It was his responsibility. Silently, Dohnaseek leaned back in his chair. The comfortable linen groaned as his coat bit into it. Looking up, the fallen angel sighed. He just wished things could've gone a bit differently.

It wasn't just Azazel who found out about Rayanare's big screw-up. Everyone did. The Grigori. The Devils. The blinding peons up high. The Yokai were in a tizzy too. Everyone. Hell, even the humans had found out something was going on. The whole incident was a huge chaotic mess, and just about every person involved was pointing fingers. Dohnaseek wanted to be rid of it all.

"It was the best I could-"

Azazel slammed his hands down on the table between them. Its wooden top shattered, a fault line running across it. Dohnaseek winced. A heavy pressure built on the younger fallen's brow. It bit into him, an acidic light just out of his sight. Suddenly, he found it hard to breathe, an almost liquid energy settling in the air.

For a moment, neither of the two spoke. Dohnaseek's heart hammered in his chest. Things weren't supposed to go this way. He was supposed to be done with this mess weeks ago. With every passing day, things seemed to only get worse. The burning glare splattered across Azazel's face was not promising.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?"

The question was simple. The implications were not. It was something the other fallen angel never took much into account. After all, what he did wasn't too important was it? No, that kind of thinking was what got him into this mess in the first place. Although, he never intended for things to go this far. He couldn't have known. No one could've known. Dohnaseek did his best. It wasn't his fault he'd misinterpreted just what Kokabiel meant by, "The biggest fight he'd ever see."

Dohnaseek was a simple man with even simpler needs. He wasn't the most smart fallen around, but that didn't bother him much. He had two things he enjoyed more than anything else. Fighting and booze. Everything Raynare, and by extension Azazel, made him do in that town was a slog. Training recruits and running errands for that condescending bitch drove the man nuts.

Despite it all, Dohnaseek wasn't stupid either.

He had a plan. It might not have been the best one, but it worked. It should've worked. There wasn't any reason for it to fail. Raynare was handled. The Grigori knew about Kokabiel. It wasn't like Azazel expected him to fight a Seraph. He couldn't. Dohnaseek did the best he could when it came to the whole thing. It wasn't his fault. He may have taken some liberties when it came to Raynare, but otherwise, he did exactly as he was told. That at least was the one part of Dohnaseek's ill-thought plan that never came to light. At the end of it all, Dohnaseek reported back exactly when he was told to. It wasn't his fault that his reports were made out once a month on longer jobs. It wasn't his fault either that he skipped town after the fiasco at the church. And it most certainly wasn't his fault Kokabiel wanted to restart the Great War. Azazel personally dragging his drunken ass out of a bar in Gibraltar was more than enough of a punishment.

"W-What did you expect me to do?" The words spun out of his mouth like a train. A furious pressure still held him down. Azazel's violet eyes shook, silently waiting. Taking a deep breath, the fallen continued, "There's no way I could've known! There-"

Azazel cut him off again, a hand waving in the air.

"He killed her Dohnaseek!" Azazel's face was stretched thin. Sharp lines cut into it, giving it years of wear. Something else flicked behind his violet eyes. Worry? Fear? Dohnaseek couldn't tell. He'd never seen the other man like this before. "Kokabiel ripped the poor girl to pieces then threw her defiled corpse on the Leviathan's doorstep!"

Violently, the Seraph stood. Aggravated breaths came through his nose. Quietly, the man stalked about the room. Dohnaseek sat there watching. It was baffling. Azazel wouldn't ever act like this, at least not where anyone could watch. Fearfully, Dohnaseek waited. A dread-filled anxiety filled the man. As the minutes dragged on more fear slithered into Dohnaseek's spine.

The Seraph ignored him, walking around the room. It was an odd thing. The room was filled with every manner of odd items. Shelves filled with dusty old tomes. Scattered bins filled with rocks and crystals. A painting on the wall, ripped and torn. The table at which Dohnaseek sat was old but not decrepit. The room seemed entirely uninhabited, the exact opposite of the Seraph's usual labs. Nobody had used the place in years. When Azazel had pulled Dohnaseek into the room, he didn't know what to think. Now, the fallen angel worried if he'd ever get to leave it.

"Time," Azazel said. The word came out in a whisper. It was fleeting, like a ghost. The Seraph's face was distraught, almost as if he were in pain. Very quietly, he mumbled, "We need more time."

Time? thought Dohnaseek. They didn't have any more, not after what Kokabiel had done. It would be a matter of days before hell would respond. The Leviathan herself was unpredictable. She'd threatened to march on Heaven's gates over much less in the past. When it came to the Satan's very own sister? Dohnaseek shuddered. He had no idea what she'd do.

As the fallen stewed in his chair, Azazel kept pacing the room. Surprisingly, his footsteps weren't loud. The hopping anger from before was starting to bleed away as he walked. Muttering words bled from his lips as he did, none of them quite entering Dohnaseek's ears.

Azazel paced into the corner of the room, facing away from the table in its center. The Seraph looked up. A bit curious, Dohnaseek did the same. The Seraph was looking at the painting. Its old linen was shredded to the point of being almost unrecognizable. There was something left of the artwork, bits and pieces of a person.

Dohnaseek frowned thinking, A portrait?

The two-winged fallen had never been in the old room before. It was in the oldest part of the Grigori. The brickwork matched when the place was just an old fort. That was before Dohnaseek's time. He would've been too busy with his nose in some dusty old scroll in the clouds. The fallen angel bit his lip, memories of better times coming to the forefront of his mind. It wasn't important, a question for another time.

Suddenly, Azazel spun around. A single finger stretched out from his hand. The bright colors of the Seraph's suit contrasted the dull black of the bricks behind him. Something akin to hope shined in the fallen's eyes.

"You mentioned another. The human, had some curse right?" Hurriedly, the Seraph approached him. The jacket of Azazel's suit swirled as he ran. Dohnaseek stayed silent as the man pulled himself back into one of the table's chairs.

Finally, Azazel turned to Dohnaseek questioning aloud, "What was his name? John. No...that's not it. Jack right?" Dohnaseek nodded. The Seraph continued, "He killed Mittelt and some of the exorcists. Supposed to be a recruit wasn't he?"

Dohnaseek frowned. He didn't see why that crazy man had anything to do with it. He was a little piece on the board; besides that, he died. That monster on the human's news, there was no way to come back from that. You didn't just turn into some red-skinned abomination and live to tell about it. Dohnaseek winced. That wasn't the biggest problem. No man survived the wrath of Sirzechs Lucifer. If he had somehow lived through the transformation, it wouldn't be long before the Satan sunk his claws into him.

"What about him?" Dohnaseek asked. He couldn't see why Azazel would be interested in him. He was just another fucked up part of the already colossal fuck up. Compared to Kokabiel and Raynare, the boy was negligible. His monstrous self being caught on camera could be covered up with enough time. Assets from all three factions were already hard at work doing everything they could to discredit any claims made about the video that ran on T.V. "He's dead. Damn kid turned himself into a monster like some wannabe stray."

"That's just the point. A monster. A monster could do us a lot of good right now." Azazel's hand drifted across the table, his fingers nervously thumping. His lips pursed, the rest of his features wrinkling in disgust. "I don't like it, not one bit, but the blame has to go somewhere. If nothing else, it'll waste their time."

Incredulous Dohnaseek asked, "How do you expect that to work? He was never near the other Heiress. How would he have gotten into the Underworld after? Why would he bring the corpse there in the first place? The kid's dead. There's too many holes!"

Azazel was quick to respond.

"It doesn't matter how many holes there are in the story if no one can prove otherwise. If certain people say the right words enough they'll become the truth. Presentation is everything. If I'm lucky we can pin down Kokabiel before he opens his idiot mouth."

Dohnaseek sat there, stunned. He'd never heard Azazel talk like this before. The fallen knew Azazel longer than most. Dohnaseek knew Azazel, Angel of Sacrifice. He knew Azazel, Leader of the Grigori. He knew Azazel the scientist. Dohnaseek knew Azazel the man-whore. This?

This was new. Desperate in a way the younger fallen couldn't quite grasp. The Seraph was openly grasping at straws. Dohnaseek was too afraid to truly call him out for it. Resigned to his fate, the fallen angel asked, "And then what?"

"The Satans stay downstairs, the angels sit on their golden thrones, Tamagahara stays on their damn mountain, and we stay underneath this beautiful purple sky. This whole incident never happened."

Dohnaseek opened his mouth. A snide remark rolled across his tongue. Just before the words left his lips, the fallen angel closed them. It's not like he had any better ideas. Even if he did, why would Azazel listen to him? Dohnaseek was simply lucky he wasn't the one going down for this. That still begged the question.

"What now?"

"Now?" Azazel began. The Seraph's head tilted down, a small moment of silence passing between the two. Dohnaseek could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest as Azazel stared him down. A clammy sweat built up on his brow. Dohnaseek hoped that none of it showed. "You go talk to Penemue and get in touch with a friend of mine."

"Not her!" Dohnaseek yelled. Azazel was crazy. He wouldn't do it. He'd rather go fight in the front lines again than be around the crazy woman for a single minute. The secretary hid it well, but she was a fiend. A man-eater of the scariest kind. Dohnaseek wouldn't work with her. They'd interacted in the past before he fell. Penemue never left him alone after. A woman like that and having five more sets of wings than himself? It would be like giving a dog a chew toy. "She'll eat me alive!"

A small smile graced Azazel's lips. He didn't have the time nor the inclination to deal with Dohnaseek's misgivings. If the stupid man would take the time to talk to her, maybe he'd realize just why she acts like she does around him. Unfortunately, everything was on a timer for Azazel. He couldn't waste precious hours playing cupid for his subordinates. Until they had this matter handled, everything else could wait. The Governor General of the Grigori used to think he knew his subordinates well. A bit of pressure would make the younger fallen fold. He hoped Dohnaseek didn't have any surprises for him. Azazel had enough of that for a lifetime.

"You were a part of this, and so help me God you're going to be there to fix it."

Dohnaseek flinched. Azazel wasn't one to speak that name. It wasn't something to be said lightly. Names had power. Their father listened to prayer in the darkest corners of the universe, let alone his name being said in some old abandoned study of the Grigori. Azazel was smarter than that. Dohnaseek knew he was. The Seraph didn't seem to care, his acidic light perusing the room. Dohnaseek sighed. As usual, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Fine."

-]-|=|-[-

"You know you don't have to do all this for me right?"

The spread of lovingly if hastily made food in front of me was inviting. It didn't look the most appetizing, but there was a lot of it. Freshly cut cheeses, bread, oil for said bread, and an odd-looking pasta. It looked more like a rookie cook's attempts at a rustic buffet than anything I'd really call a normal meal, but it was enough. A voice called back to me.

"I already told you, I want to do something." the girl stopped, fidgeting with her hair. "You're letting me stay here after all. I have to give back somehow."

The small girl across from me shook her head back and forth. Long blonde locks of hair dripped over her shoulders as she looked up at me. She smiled all the while. Her teeth fit together seamlessly, not a single gap or blemish. My eyes pulled upward. Her face was even more extraordinary.

It was perfectly symmetrical, shaped almost like a heart with its tip being her chin. Her eyes were filled with an unneeded warmth in the sea of green. A healthy color held to her cheeks as I stared, slowly turning more red by the second. The only thing that seemed out of place on her was the small white scar dotting across her left brow. The smile on her face seemed to grow even larger, beaming.

Something uncomfortable stirred in my gut at the thought of her sending that look toward me. It still made me uneasy. I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve anyone's kindness, not after all that I'd done. I took a deep breath, looking back at her.

Asia was no longer dressed in her nun attire. It was something she started doing recently. Asia wore a pair of brown sweatpants, a slightly oversized t-shirt, and a frilly white apron. Besides the apron, the rest of the clothes were mine. We had a conversation a few days after moving in about trying to get her some clothes. She didn't want me to spend money on her. It would've hurt my budget a good bit, but it would be better than wearing nothing other than a skimpy nun uniform.

I offered to take her shopping, but Asia refused. The excuse she gave was something about not wanting to be even more of a burden. I tried to talk her out of it, but I couldn't. I never could win any damn argument with her. When I came back from work the next day, She'd taken it upon herself to dress up in some of the loungewear I'd bought for myself. I didn't have the heart to tell her not to.

She still insisted on wearing her nun attire in public though, despite how deceptively revealing it was.

I could feel my stomach jump. It gave the girl a homely look. Despite my mediocre clothes, Asia still rocked them. It was odd, in a way I couldn't quite put into words. She was as cute as a button. The almost child-like fancy for well, everything didn't help either. Every time I'd come home, we'd talk and talk and talk.

Something unknown bubbled up from my gut and into my ears. It was pleasant in a weird way. A pang of warmth came from my left hand. I gritted my teeth as the familiar sensation traveled up my arm and through my spine. My fingers twitched.

"Jack?" a voice questioned.

I walked forward, trying to put a smile on my face. Our apartment was pretty small. It had an itty bitty foyer with a step up from the main door. Instinctively, I kicked off my shoes before I hit the tatami mat floor. The cheaply made slip-ons bounced off a rack holding the rest of my and Asia's footwear. The only things on it were Asia's outdoor shoes and my torn-up Nike sneakers. Those red shoes were the only things remaining from my original outfit when I woke up in Kuoh.

Small footsteps came up behind me. I flinched as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist from behind. I could feel heat blow into my face as Asia's head leaned into my shoulder from behind. For a few tense moments, all I could feel was my heart thundering in my chest and a growing warmth coming from the girl behind me. A small mumble came from my back.

"Is it the mark again?"

The question broke me out of my embarrassed fog. She was worried. Asia always fretted over me. I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve her attention. I still couldn't get it through my head as to why she wanted to come with me after Kuoh. It wasn't supposed to be me. It never was supposed to be me.

"Yeah," I replied. Purposely, I pulled on the energy the mark shot into me. A prolonged breath left my mouth. With it, I threw the energy out of my body. It was a habit I'd picked up since leaving Kuoh. From time to time, the mark flared up. Surprisingly, the little technique worked.

I ended up getting the idea from a movie of all things. Since my last big fight, the mark was noticeably subdued. It was controllable. Though, I doubt it'd do too much good if I was really going at it. I still don't know why I didn't think about it before. I always held the energy in; like a valved sink waiting to explode. I guess it had to do with how I thought about my power in the first place. A giant ocean pouring into a sink. Thinking back, the metaphor was weirder than I remembered.

Me and Asia had taken to watching some movies in our free time. It, like most other media here, was pretty cheesy. The Jackie Chan wannabe on screen did end up giving me something besides some cheap laughs.

A small noise popped through my lips as Asia drifted even closer. I could feel a soft warmth cover my entire back as she stretched herself up. Soft skin drifted across my neck and cheek as the girl put my shoulder under her chin using the height difference between our foyer and living room. Some of my previous friends would've called me out for it, but I quickly jumped away. Asia didn't have much of a concept of personal space.

It was odd. Everything about her was odd, and yet it was comforting at the same time. An uneasy nervousness settled into my gut as I turned around. Asia stood there, her lips practically glowing. I don't know how she did it. She was never truly embarrassed when it came to me. The worst I ever see is her cheeks or ears turning red. She'd quite quickly lost that outright embarrassment when it came to touching me from when we first met. It was ridiculous. Living in a tiny apartment with her was driving me nuts, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Are you just going to stand there? Come on, the food will get cold."

A snort came out of my nose. Asia didn't even realize what she was doing. I couldn't imagine trying to broach the conversation either. God that would be a fun one. Trying not to laugh aloud, I started to trot forward into the main room of the apartment.

"Shoes."

I lightly frowned. I'd already taken them off. A bit confused I asked, "Shoes?"

Asia pointed over to the step of the foyer. A pair of slippers sat there. The fuzzy blue slippers matched everything but the color of the ones on Asia's feet. Hers were a bright pink. They were a recent acquisition of mine. Quite a weird one too. Asia had insisted on them. Something to do with good manners. It was comical that she insisted on having slippers, but wouldn't let me buy her some normal clothes. She'd gotten the idea from our only neighbor, an older lady. I called her Miss Sakai. She was older than even my grandmother. A tiny little thing too.

Mia Nonna died in her sixties.

Miss Sakai was over ninety. The little woman was quite the spitfire despite her age. Miss Sakai insisted on proper "Japanese" etiquette. She'd met Asia in our backyard of all places, after which our neighbor met me. The older lady didn't like me very much. She loved Asia though, took the girl under her wing so to speak.

It was annoying at times, but I was just happy that Asia had someone else to talk to. I wish she had some other people around her age, but the girl was quite the dormouse when it came to strangers. I'm still surprised our neighbor had gotten a word out of the shy girl, let alone get along with her. Although, I guess a small elderly lady wasn't very intimidating.

"Yeah, fine." I slipped on the in-door shoes without a fuss. I didn't want to deal with a stern Asia. She acted like a little bumblebee about the weirdest of things. Although, Asia would sooner cry than do anything to hurt me. It was odd but just another part of her. "So what are we having tonight?"

As we filed into the apartment my lips twitched up. I already knew the answer, but it was fun talking to her anyway. We did this little song and dance just about every day I worked. Happily, Asia answered, "Cacio e Pepe."

That was quite an old classic, an easy one to make too. She kept trying to make Italian dishes from the book she'd gotten down at the library. "A little taste of home," she called it. Asia wasn't quite there on the quality yet, but it wasn't bad. The fact that she made anything at all was more than enough for me. Free food was free food...even if I was technically the one who bought it.

"That's a good one, not too complicated to make and pretty damn tasty if done right." The pleasant aroma of cheese and freshly made bread hit me first. My smile stretched wider. It reminded me of my younger years. Before Asia started cooking, I hadn't eaten homemade food in what felt like years. I said, "One thing's for sure. It smells good."

It only took a few minutes for the two of us to settle down at our apartment's only table. It was a short stubby little thing. A large mat had covered it when we moved in, but I shoved that in the apartment's bedroom soon after. Taking two large pillows out of the dresser in the bedroom, I had made us some impromptu seats. We didn't have chairs, and it was a bit uncomfortable on the ground, but it worked.

Like every single night before, Asia began our dinner with a prayer. It, like most of the other words we spoke around the house, was in Italian. After a few minutes, the girl tucked the silver rosary back beneath her shirt. Asia's beautiful smile was infectious.

I didn't know quite what I thought about my new life, but things were looking up for me and Asia.

-]-|=|-[-

"Fucking flies," I growled.

My hand flew through the air at the annoying little creature. Despite moving to an entirely new world, I couldn't get away from the damn bugs. In a way, it reminded me of home. Bugs always came out in the summer. Large green horse flies and other insects swarmed the dumpsters outside some of the buildings in town. It was a dour mark on an otherwise oddly beautiful city. I mostly just ignored it, but the damn things sure were annoying.

Grunting, I walked past the dumpster. Just a bit further down the street was my destination. It was the library closest to our apartment. We were living on the outskirts of Kyoto City. The actual city itself was gorgeous, if a bit smaller than what I'm used to. I guess a better term would be flatter. Everything here felt all spread out and flat. The landscape was beautiful of course, but it still didn't quite feel like home.

Nothing here ever did. Every time I thought I was starting to get comfortable, something else outlandish would rear its head. Don't get me wrong, it was nowhere near the unpredictability and craziness of my first few weeks in Kuoh. It was still jarring though. Seeing knock-off things from my universe all over the place was weird. At times, it felt like I was going through a walking dream. I knew it wasn't true, but it felt like a dream all the same.

Being in Japan didn't help.

I felt homesick. I wanted to go back home and take a nap in my dorm. I wanted to wake up to one of my buddies yelling at me to get a move on to class. I wanted to see the towering sprawl of Austin again. I wanted to see the flat plains and lakes further south. I wanted to go back to the United States, to Texas. Somewhere that felt a little more sane.

Beyond the oddities of the parallel world, I hadn't come across much of any supernatural stuff since we fled Kuoh. The only thing I could really think of was some kind of turtle-looking thing in a nearby creek. Asia and I had gone for a walk on the weekend. Eventually, we ended up by one of the many creeks that flowed around the outskirts of town. I'd spotted something green thing in the water only to barely catch a glimpse of a shell and a green-colored head before it was all over. The only souvenir I got from the encounter was some wet hair and curiosity after the thing had spat a glob of water at my head and then fled. Asia was more confused than anything else. That was the worst I came across in three whole months. Well, at least that wasn't self-induced.

Pushing the thoughts out of my head, I trudged forward.

The library was a pretty small place. It was nothing at all like some of the huge ones in the depths of the actual town. The building itself looked old. It was mostly made of wood, but it still had some new parts to it. Repairs I assumed. There were little sections of fresh wood and even a part that was replaced with concrete. Kyoto was weird to me. I'd go from seeing places that wouldn't look out of place from the Edo period to places that looked like if they had English signs it'd fit in at a town in America.

The library was in between.

The place was owned by Miss Sakai. Originally, it had been her Husband's passion project. The old woman had taken over after his death. I don't know how she could afford to run the place, but she did. It wasn't much of my business anyway. I wasn't here for her, nor to pick out any books. I was here for-

Through, the library's front windows a cascade of golden-blond hair caught my eyes. I stifled a snort as the girl ran around. Three kids were running around with her, or rather away from her. I could see a large grin on Asia's face as she chased after the munchkins. If Miss Sakai caught them, they'd surely be in for a tongue-lashing. Silent, I entered the building.

The new glass doors opened to reveal a large room. It easily dwarfed our apartment in size. An old wooden counter stood directly in front of me. It didn't even have a computer like most modern libraries. Instead, stacks of binders littered it. I knew from Asia that Miss Sakai kept the records by hand. It felt like a waste of time to me, but it was just how the older woman wanted to do things. I didn't ever voice it, not that I had the chance to. I never talked much to our neighbor in the first place.

"Jack!"

I barely had a moment to react before a golden-haired missile struck my side. Asia was dressed in her nun uniform. Its flowing sleeves drifted across my sides as the girl latched onto me. I could feel my face heat up as Asia hugged me. I should've been used to it by now, but I wasn't. It set my heart into a stuttering patter. I did my best to ignore the thumping in my chest.

"Hey, Asia." The words stumbled from my mouth. Awkwardly, I wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. The even wider smile on her face made the embarrassment worth it.

"Did you have fun today?" I asked.

The bubbly girl detached from my side with a nod. I could see her glance over her shoulder. Three different heads of black hair stared at the two of us from a distance. They haphazardly hid themselves between two of the many bookshelves dotting the interior of the building behind the library's main desk. I looked over at the nearest of the three.

A pair of curious brown eyes met my own. I did my best to smile. The young girl flinched, quickly hiding away. The two other kids followed soon after. It was a bit disheartening. I couldn't blame them though. Not anymore. I could barely recognize myself when I looked in the mirror.

My once almost lanky build was completely gone. Thick corded muscle hid itself beneath my clothes. I never thought it would be an issue, but the muscle was almost too much. I'd never had an athletic build in my life. This though? It wasn't athletic. The bulging muscle in my sleeves made me look like some kind of fantasy bodybuilder.

Most would've counted this as some kind of blessing. I didn't. I wasn't comfortable with it. I didn't like it at all. It felt like I was in someone else's body. I also tended to tower over much of anyone around. It wasn't a good combination for first impressions. Not in Japan anyway. Unfortunately, I didn't have any choice in the matter. I'd gone from being quite lanky to a hulking monstrosity in a matter of days. I was lucky that I wasn't breaking things left and right. It wasn't normal. Everything about me felt off.

Thinking about it all made me queasy.

A hand lightly laid itself on my arm. My head swiveled to the left. Asia looked back at me. Her kind green eyes met my own. Instantly, the worry started to melt away. Asia pulled herself away. She brought both of her hands down, crossing her fingers. Asia settled them across her abdomen smiling at me.

"We read some more today."

I rubbed the back of my head. Quickly, I replied, "Was it the one with the lions?"

"Nope! We finished that yesterday, I started them on a Bible story."

We started to walk towards the entrance of the library. Only a couple of feet from each other, we talked as we walked.

I hummed, "So what did you start them with?"

It was an interesting question. Out of all the various forms of media I consumed in this new world, only one was the same so far. The Bible. It taught a lot of life lessons, made even more prevalent in how this world had tangible proof of every supernatural pantheon out there. I knew there was some explicit shit in the book though.

"Creation and the six days thereafter." I could hear the change in Asia's voice. It was excited, practically bundled with energy. Continuing, Asia said, "It's really been helping, just like Miss Sakai said!"

I didn't know if the traditional Japanese woman would care much for Asia reading the local children a Bible story in her library, but I didn't have the heart to tell Asia. The blinding smile on her face was too much for me to break. Oh hell, who cares? It wouldn't hurt anybody.

"Your pronunciation has certainly got a lot better," I commented. It was true. The girl's Japanese had improved by leaps and bounds. I was in much the same boat. Having to converse with Japanese-speaking customers all day was sink or swim. Neither of the two of us were truly fluent, but we could hold something of a conversation. "Anything else fun?"

"Um...Oh, we played tag!" Asia said it like some great discovery. I could see the usual warmth from behind her eyes taking over as she talked. It was so innocent, all too cute, and just the way Asia was. Her smile faded a bit. "I-I didn't win."

As we walked through the library's doors, I couldn't hold it in. A snort came out of my nose. A bit of laughter followed soon after. Something hit my arm. I looked down in surprise. Asia stared up at me, a cute pout on her lips. Slowly, she pulled her arm away.

"Did...did you just hit me?" I asked stunned.

The pout quickly changed to worry as Asia grasped my arm. Without saying a word, two silver rings appeared on her fingers. The sacred gear quickly let out a green glow. Stammering, Asia fretted, "O-Oh, I didn't mean to. That's always what Aki does to the other two and I didn't-"

My little laugh turned into a full-grown crackdown. It thundered out of my mouth. Quite quickly, the green glow faded. Slowly, I regained control of myself. Asia stood there, looking even more affronted than before. The cute pout was back, this time with fully puffed cheeks. I chuckled, "Y-You're adorable."

I couldn't help myself. Trying to hold back any more laughs, I patted the girl on her head. Not realizing what I just did. I continued on. Asia stood behind me, entirely silent. I heard her mumble something from behind me.

"You say something?"

"I did!" Asia stormed up to me. I could see something akin to anger in her eyes as she did. It wasn't very effective. No matter what the girl did, I couldn't take it seriously. It was like looking at an annoyed golden retriever. Mirth bubbled in my chest again, but I held it down. Poking my chest, she complained, "You keep treating me like a kid."

Asia pulled on my shirt, bringing me down to look at her. Without any resistance, I let her have her way. I knew what would happen if I didn't. I could see the barely restrained water in her eyes. Putting up a shaky smile she said, "I'm going to get you back for it."

Then, out of nowhere, she pouted, "Hmph!" twisting her head away from me.

That did not just happen. I thought. There was no way. I couldn't believe it. People don't do that. She did not just do that. They don't make sound effects when they talk. It was entirely out of place, like something straight out of an anime. It was so odd. Where could she have possibly learned to do that? For a few seconds, I stood there shocked. I tried to hold it back; I really did. The laughter bubbled out of my throat anyway.

"I'm not lying! You'll see." Asia stomped down the sidewalk. Her hands curled into little fists as she swung back around to face me. The look on her face did nothing to help her case. "I'll get you back!"

I shot back, "Sure. I believe you."

The rest of our walk was in silence. We didn't live too far away from the library. It was a little bit closer than where I worked, just four blocks south of our little house. The sun started to set. A golden glow dripped across the dotted buildings around us. In the distance, I could see the lights of the city truly start to come on. As I looked around, I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye.

It was an old man.

A grubby-looking one at that. His black hair fell almost to his shoulders. Its worn fibers almost dripped with glossy oil. He wore a green overcoat. It was filled with holes. His pants were made with an odd white-looking leather, black stains ran all over it. He looked homeless. The ratty finger-missing gloves certainly didn't help. He stood next to the dumpster at the far end of the library. Something about him felt off. Without a word, I frowned.

The man turned to face me, an odd little smile on his face. He didn't look local, the crusted features of his face noticeably non-Asian. I couldn't make out all the details from where we stood, but I could see one thing perfectly clear. His eyes. They were a bright viridian green. Even at a distance, they stood out. They were the only two bright spots on his entire soiled body. He was in a distant alley, all alone. It was the first time I'd seen a homeless person in Japan.

A foreigner? I thought. It made the most sense to me at least. The only reason he even stood out to me was the fact he looked so beat up. Most parts of the city were oddly clean, but I figured that was just the normal here in Kyoto. I looked away from the bum. Without much more fanfare, I continued to walk along Asia by my side.

We arrived at our apartment not long after. I opened the door with my key. The rather rickety thing swung open with a loud creak. Continuing, I walked inside. Asia followed soon after. A few shoes went flying, slippers went on at Asia's behest. Finally, my day was over.

Asia exclaimed, "I wanna watch Cretaceous Park!"

I frowned at the name but nodded my head all the same. It seemed like she'd gotten over her previous mood. Hopefully, Asia would forget about the whole thing by tomorrow. Quietly, I said, "That's fine."

I walked over to our little table, picking up my laptop off it. Quickly, I brought the device over to the other side of the room. Walking around our couch, I approached the wall to the right of our foyer. A small T.V. hung off of it. I reached behind it. A long black cord came back as I pulled my hand away. Without a word, I plugged the HDMI cord into the side of my laptop.

"You sure that's what you wanna watch?" I asked.

I heard a low hum come from behind me. I turned around just in time to see Asia plop herself on our couch. The furniture shook for a second as she leaned back kicking her legs over one side. Her limbs dangled as she sat there, Asia kicked them back and forth then said, "Mhmm."

"Cool," I replied. It wasn't exactly what I'd choose, but whatever. If it'd make her happy, I'd watch the damn movie a hundred times. Asia was weirdly obsessed with dinosaur movies. It had a few sort of scary scenes, but it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Pressing a few keys and searching through some totally legal websites, I found the knockoff movie she was talking about.

"There we go."

A large symbol blared itself to life on the T.V. hanging on my wall. It was a giant red medallion surrounded by a yellow line and black backdrop. A dinosaur skeleton hung in its middle with the words, "Cretaceous Park" scrawled over top of the skeleton. I pulled away from the laptop.

It only took us a few minutes to get settled in on the little couch our unit had come with. Some small talk passed between us as the opening of the movie started to play. Asia was still being a bit quieter than I liked. Without much thought, an idea entered my mind. A bribe.

I said, "Tomorrow's Saturday. I won't have to run a tape on the receipts till Monday, so I can leave my laptop at home with you if you'd like? You'd get to watch all the movies you'd want."

The girl lying across the other side of the couch hummed at me. I hoped she'd take the offer and forget about what happened earlier. It wasn't exactly the best bribe I could give her, but it was all I had on hand. After a few more seconds of silence, Asia answered, "That sounds like fun."

At the time, I didn't realize it would be such a big deal. Unknowingly, I had already signed my fate. Giving Asia Argento access to the internet would come to be one of the worst mistakes of my life. It could also be the best depending entirely on how you looked at it.

A large green horse fly skittered across the ceiling of our home. It stood vigil, hateful patience in its eyes.

AN: Howdy folks!

How's that for a chapter for ya? Just under 9k words and that damn time skip I was talking about forever ago. This chapter is by far the biggest chapter we've had yet. We're starting on the next arc folks! Lots of things are happening all at once, and I'm doing my best to balance them. If you guys have any questions or concerns please do point them out. I do my best to convey things, but I'm only human. I make mistakes, but I always do my best to correct them. This goes for any English or Grammar errors as well.

Otherwise, I think I'll give you guys a teaser for the next chapter as I already have it written. Well, most of it anyway. I've had this chapter just about done for a long while. I have about 26K words in scenes for this story as of posting this (including this chapter). I've had a few select scenes fucking me over on actually posting it. Snippet below.

It was not a good thing. It spoke of malice, evil. It wasn't one she liked to see. It had no right to be on her husband's face. It was cruel, despotic, filthy. The Strongest Queen hated it. It stretched his face entirely too far. She despised it. The woman hadn't seen it grace her husband's lips for many years. Grayfia Lucifuge was going to fix it. She swore. Whatever it takes.

Unfortunately, that's all you're gonna get for now. I had a lot of fun with this story recently. This chapter was a nice change of pace for the story entering into a new arc. Things have slowed down...on Jack's end at least. I'm hoping to post the next chapter in the next few days, but we'll see if I can do it. I ain't making any promises, but I only have three more small parts I need to put into the next chapter to piece the scenes together how I want. I should be able to do it quickly, but I could get stonewalled again. We'll see. Anyway, until then...

~ciao